New Nix striker eyes lengthy stay
New recruit Cillian Sheridan is already eyeing a long-term stay at the Wellington Phoenix, after two eye-catching performances off the bench.
‘‘I love it here. There’s nice people and it’s a nice place. The club has made me feel very welcomed and it’s an easy group to settle into. I don’t think it should be your motivation, you should always have your motivation to be at your top, but it could always give you a bit of a boost,’’ he said.
The well travelled 29-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the A-League season, already looks to be a superb acquisition.
He provided some much needed spark as the Phoenix rallied back from two goals down to beat the winless Central Coast Mariners 3-2 on Saturday and was equally as impressive in their previous match, playing key passes in the leadup to the two late goals as the Phoenix rallied to beat the Western Sydney Wanderers by the same scoreline.
‘‘When you’re a sub coming on you always have to feel [confident] because that’s why the change has been made, you’ve been brought on to do something.
‘‘From my point of view it couldn’t have gone any better [against the Mariners] because straight away they’ve gone down to 10 men and although it didn’t make it easy, it did make it easier for me.
‘‘I’ve been happy with how I’ve started, I would have preferred to have a goal on top of it, but the main thing is I can come in and help the team, and whenever I get a chance I’ll be ready to take it.’’
With 71 minutes under his belt, the former Republic of Ireland international is now hoping to break into the starting XI for Sunday night’s match against Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park and stake a further claim for a contract extension.
‘‘Players will always say they’re ready but it’s up to the manager. The team is doing well, guys are scoring so I can’t complain. It’s just going to be up to me and when I do get a chance I’ll be ready to take it.’’
Wellington is the 10th stop on Sheridan’s football odyssey, having arrived in New Zealand following spells with Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland, Omonia and Apoel in Cyprus, CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria, Plymouth Argyle in England and Kilmarnock, St Johnstone, Motherwell and Celtic in Scotland.
‘‘Everywhere is different. Every time I go to a new league [how they compare] is one of the questions. But it’s a good competitive league and I don’t think there’s anything negative when I’m telling other people. It’s a good standard and the trainings here are good. I’m just looking forward to some more games.’’
Although his globetrotting journey has provided many highlights, getting the chance to play Barcelona at Camp Nou during his spell with Apoel and representing his country on three occasions the two obvious highlights, Sheridan believes he may have jeopardised his international career by playing outside of the British Isles.
‘‘Everyone wants to have as many caps as they can but the way I went career-wise, where I went, maybe affected it. I don’t regret going places and maybe jeopardising a few more caps but it’s out of my control. I think they had a style of play that was generally players from the UK, a lot of Championship and Premier League players and the style suited those players, but that is something out of my control.’’